Titans Next Door
by DarthWill3
Summary: The Joker and Harley Quinn lead 5 of the Teen Titans' adversaries and are attacking KND and their enemies. Sector V and the Titans must work together if they're to uncover and halt the Joker's plot. Includes 2x5, 3x4, JxH, RxS, and more! R&R, please.
1. Prologue

Ever since it began in 1985, the _Game World_ amusement park was a huge hit in Cleveland, Ohio. It had such a mother load of rides, games, prizes to win, and even a gigantic steel maze with safety cameras to watch where the children had gone. No child could ever hope for a place like that. It was paradise.

However, in the year 1996, _Game World_ went out of business when it was said that the generator overloaded and caused the amusement park to go aflame. It touched everything in its path, except the half-a-kilometer long maze. Luckily, it was closed and there was not a soul inside. After investigating any search of footprints on the soot around the time the incident happened, it was confirmed by the police that someone had _planned_ the destruction.

* * *

Ten years later, in early 2007, no one had ever suspected that _Game World_ was now a hideout for a criminal mastermind. He had quite a reputation that there were rumors to how he became such a mad man: an abusive childhood, alcoholic father, being beaten when a prank had gone wrong, and spending three days in the hospital.

When the mastermind went into crime, there were many aliases to his name. He was even the hit man of the gangster, Salvatore "the Wheezer" Valestra. Eventually, the man got a gang of his own and tried to rob a chemical lab. During that event, he was accidentally knocked into a chemical vat that _entirely_ changed both his image and personality forever.

Inside the abandoned and now criminally upgraded maze, the mastermind began explain his latest scheme to his allies.

"You all know why I invited you here?" he asked politely.

The five rogues did not speak their answer, but simply replied with a nod.

"You do?" asked the mastermind in a pretty much of a humorous way. "Splendid! Now we can spend the whole week together! Now, let's see. Where did I put the lists for our scavenger hunt? Oh! Silly me!"

As he chuckled, he pulled up a draw in his desk and picked up five sheets of paper.

"Oh, Pumpkin Pie," he called into the intercom, "would you please patch up a couple of drinks for our guests?"

"Right away, Puddin'!" replied the high pitched female voice from his lover.

Then, the mastermind passed the sheets separately to the "guests." Each read his or her assignment, while the "owner of the house" began explaining his plan:

"We all have one common enemy, you know. And they've been such a pain in the back that we had to spend our time in prison. But hold your displays of tragedy, everyone. The only way to get rid of them is to unite and collect the items you'll be finding from a few things connected to our new neighbor..."

He paused for a few seconds, smiled widely, and then finished his sentence with a pretty slow and vile tone, "the Kids Next Door…"


	2. Laughing Gas Everywhere!

Things have left completely without a clue after the events that happened the next day. Nigel Uno, aka Numbuh 1, had read the results:

First, a boy disguised as a KND operative has stolen the source of 2x4 technologies that were made to build weapons, vehicles, devices, armor, shields, and other uses right from the KND moonbase. Without it, the organization would be defenseless against invaders, such as teenagers, adults, or anti-KND children. The perpetrator was known to have a talent at building gadgets and such. Like Nigel, he was bald, although it is unknown if it was shaved or just some kind of disease.

Next, William Jelly, aka "Knightbrace," had been robbed of his technology as well. He recently got a job as a dentist and his first patient was most… unpleasant. The thief was identified as a muscle-bound man with wholly reddish-brown hair, white eyes, and, taken a dislike to Jelly, savagely sharp teeth. He even had such incredible strength in ramming down walls.

Then, the Teen Ninjas had not only been robbed of their technology, but also of their reputation. At their base, some boy operatives were powerless against the charms of a lovely girl, disguised as someone trying to be accepted for training. She had lovely violet hair and such a gorgeous dress with steel gauntlets and an impressive chestplate, just enough to make girl operatives jealous of her. But those kinds of weaknesses had been their undoing. Plus, every inch of their Battle Ready Armor (B.R.A.) was taken off their chests, leaving the girls to attempt to hide their exposed cleavages after regaining control. But as they got rid of the records of their embarrassments, everything that happened was copied on a disc so the spy could show her friends the entertainment. She was revealed to have such unnatural power much more dangerous than her good looks.

As for the heist after that, every last bit of machine constructed by Nigel's rich uncle, Benedict "Benny" Uno, aka Father, had been stolen by a French shape shifter. She had disguised herself as the Delightful Children From Down The Lane, Nigel's nasty cousins, and asked Benny for access to the science fault, which was part of the garage at the back of the mansion. Benny agreed, for he thought that this was an inspection for the machines. However, after he was given a special type of powder to his pipe, the infiltration was revealed as security cameras inside the machine vault saw the impostor shift into her true form. She had shiny black hair, lovely blue eyes, and a nice red sleeveless slip jacket. Unlike the thief at the Teen Ninjas' base, she was more likely around her 40s. And before she took off, she hacked into the robots' systems and made them follow her to wherever she chooses.

Finally, the legged chair transports used by Mr. John Wink and Mr. Timothy Fibb had too been hacked of their systems and were led away from the scene by an old Anglophile from England disguised as traveling salesman. He was known to have had red hair in his youth. Now he was mostly bold with white-gray hair, which was a lost cause. As Mr. Wink and Mr. Fibb stated before the "petty-excuse-for-a-salesman" attacked, he handed out some sort of strange looking fish with smiles on them. They looked very closely to inspect the peculiar new seafood product and before they knew it, the gas sprayed on them both. The most important clue that the robbers had used just before they struck at their objective was that they give out the most deadly substance that would leave people vulnerable: laughing gas. But this was no ordinary kind of gas. It makes its victims laugh uncontrollably, thus making themselves impossible to control for a few hours. The thieves had their masks on before it could affect them as well. However, the French shape shifter put in laughing powder in Benedict Uno's pipe and left seconds before it took affect, so she didn't need a mask for the job anyway. As for the legged-chair robbing Anglophile, the gas he had only affected those who touched the smiling fish he held out. That was when Mr. Wink and Mr. Fibb were sent to the hospital, with huge smiles on their mouths. The fish was not present as the police looked into the incident, so they concluded that it was taken away by the thief to leave no evidence. Luckily, the gas wasn't designed for killing.

Each of these culprits were after technology, but not one of them bothered to take money from any who were helpless against the gases. None of the police seemed to know who or what they were dealing with. The events with the KND and Teen Ninjas were considered to be irrelevant, since there was no harm in seeing youngsters goofing off, laughing. But as for the adults' problems, this was serious and the Fibb-Wink case showed all of the people of Cleveland that this was the work of a madman.

The KND didn't know of what was going to happen to them, after the source of their technology was stolen. Yet as they waited, fearing the worst, not one enemy attack was happening. And with good reason: the adults were also stunned by the attacks on their allies and enemies. No one could figure out who would ever plan such a thing. However, they were all about to find out soon enough.

* * *

It was 2:26 P.M. and the school bus stopped at the Lincoln residence, home of Abigail "Abby" Lincoln, aka Numbuh 5. The vehicle's door opened and from down the stairs came a sweet African American girl. Fifteen years old, wearing a pink top and a long pair of jeans, and lovely hair, she was very popular in her class.

"See ya, Cree!" called a girl from inside the bus.

"Yeah, see you around, Tina!" replied the girl named Cree, and with that, the bus left in a flash.

Cree Lincoln was previously known as Numbuh 11, a member of the KND. However, whatever the reason, she later turned against her sister and the rest of Sector V and became a Teen Ninja. The two girls would not only fight each other in missions, but also in arguments at home.

What was interesting so far was that Cree was not present at the Teen Ninja base when it was infiltrated for she had to study for her exams. But once she was entering her home, she was in for a nasty surprise as someone hid behind and looked from her room window.

"You all set, lovely?" asked the voice from within her cell phone.

"Ready, Puddin'," whispered the figure in response, "The paint's on, the equipment's stored inside, and this show's gonna end up with a _bang_!" she finished with a mischievous grin.


	3. Cree vs Harley

As Cree entered the house, she noticed that the lights were out and she couldn't see where she was going.

"Oh, this is just great," she grunted in frustration, "Dad must've turned off the lights by accident again. Now where's that switch?"

Cree's father was once a clown by the name of "Chuckles" and was now a doctor at Memorial Hospital in Cleveland. He happened to be special at surgery, medical research, and other things. As for Mrs. Lincoln, she came from France. She never forgot to leave a thing in the house before going out to shop. But there was something she might have forgotten: locking the windows, not just the doors.

Cree found the light switch near the door and just there was something that caught her completely by surprise as the light bulbs started shining around the living room. Something… of which was not a good sign. Not a good sign at all. It was as if murder has taken place here while it was empty.

Red letters were spread across the walls of every level. They all spelled out "HA," "HA," "HA," "HA," and everywhere a "HAHA!" They were written just a few hours. Someone had done this mess. A crazy someone: psychopath, sicko, laughing hyena, whatever he or she could be.

Cree, appalled at the sight, smelled the letters to see if they were written in blood. To her relief it was just really paint. At first, she suspected that it was Abby and her friends playing a joke on her. But how _could_ she? Abby was at school just as Cree was.

_If it wasn't Abby,_ Cree thought, _and the rest of those brats were with her, then… who did this?_

Then, she heard singing. That singing was coming from upstairs. It was in the form of "Make 'Em Laugh" from that film, _Singin' in the Rain._ On the radio, it seemed. And she quickly realized that it was in her own room. Somebody was in her room? But that was impossible. No one goes into her room without asking… _ever._ How that somebody got in and who it was, Cree was about to find out.

She rushed up the stairs and when she opened the door, no one was inside; only her own radio, broadcasting that classic tune.

Cree, who had just had enough of this sort of prank, angrily shouted out, "Okay, game's over! If you're still inside this house, come out and…"

"Hiya, Cree!"

Cree jumped at the sound of the voice and looked behind her. There, sitting in the shadow of her bed, stood a woman in what looked like a red and black jester costume. The face was well hidden in the blackness. In her hand lay a plate of homemade muffins. Not a burned edge on one of them.

"It's about time you got her," said the woman in her high pitched voice. "I made us some nice muffins! Want some?"

"Who are you?" asked Cree, in a suspicious tone, "And how did you get in here?"

"Well," explained the woman, chewing on her muffin, "All the doors were locked tight, so I had to find any window that wasn't shut and I found one: _yours_."

Cree, despite trying to overcome the surprise that has shocked her, felt rather embarrassed. She took a quick look to see her window wide open, with the curtains showing little bit of sunlight.

"Just what's with all the paint on the walls?" she snapped, getting past the humiliating topic of leaving windows unlocked.

"Don't you like it?" asked the high pitched woman, feeling jolly. "My Puddin' said it would help brighten your spirits up."

To that comment, Cree began to lose patience and she slowly walked to the mysterious vandal.

"Look," she growled, "I don't who you are, or who your 'Puddin'' is, but I do know that when I tell the cops what you've been doing, you're gonna spend time in a nice, big, dark, smelly pri…"

Before she finished that word, a blast of wind had just blown the curtains up, allowing the sunlight to reveal the perpetrator's face. The face was covered in white makeup, a black mask that covered the rims of her eye sockets, and a jester's cap over the head. Lastly, a pair of fair light blue eyes showed what seemed to look innocent.

Cree drew back in horror, as she finally recognized who she was dealing with.

* * *

Harleen Quinzel, better known by her friends as "Harley," was once a psychologist whose career turned around when spending a semester at Arkham Asylum in Gotham City. There, she met and fell in love a mental patient by the name of Jack Napier.

When studying the harsh childhood events her patient was dealing with, Harley found one current problem Jack was facing: a man dressed like a bat. One as Jack would put it "never takes a joke."

Then, something had happened that would change Harley's life forever. One day, Jack had escaped and attempted to make hostiles laugh at his antics, until the bat-like man crudely beat him up and brought him back to Arkham. That was not a site Harley could bear. It struck her emotionally in the heart and made little drops come down from the eyes to the cheeks.

This was the last straw for Miss Harleen Quinzel. She left later at night, stole a costume and pop-gun from a costume store, and busted Jack out of Arkham. It was then that she had taken a new name: Harley Quinn, a name taken from the word _harlequin_.

* * *

Right now, years onto the present, Harley was lying in a cozy bed with a plate of homemade muffins, her face now shown in front of a terrified Cree Lincoln.

"You?!" Cree gasped in her pretty much higher pitch. She had never been that scared before in her life. Never.

_"Me?"_ replied Harley, mockingly. "Well, I'm glad you noticed by now, Cree!"

"W-w-wh-wha-what do you want?" stammered Cree, in her now more usual voice.

"Mistah J wants to have your little sister and her friends over at a party," Harley responded, finishing her last muffin. "He won't take 'no' for an answer, you know. Besides, we're going to have lots of fun together!"

Cree, petrified, was at first hesitant to answer. This was no foe she had ever faced. Harley was a trained criminal; an expert on acrobats, martial arts, technology, and even psychology. Not mention that she was twice as old as Cree, making her much smarter. There was no way Cree could stand a chance against her.

Then a thought struck her… Why would Harley's boss want to invite Abby over at his so-called "party?" What does he want with her? He might hurt her, torture to get what he wants to know, or worse… No. Cree could not allow that to happen. Even though she might not be strong enough to defeat Harley, she had to try and stop her from laying a finger on Abby. She _had_ to.

Cree finally turned her fearful expression into a set of burst of rage, activated her B.R.A., and then charged at Harley, whom just took a leap from the bed to meet her opponent in the eye.

"I won't let you harm her, creep!" shouted Cree.

"Sounds like somebody needs a little medicine!" Harley scoffed, her fists clenched.

This was the moment of truth. The battle had just begun.


	4. Wally's New Look and A Deadly Joke

The five friends of Sector V, Nigel Uno (Numbuh 1), Hoagie Gilligan Jr. (Numbuh 2), Kuki Sanban (Numbuh 3), Wallabee "Wally" Beatles (Numbuh 4), and Abigail "Abby" Lincoln (Numbuh 5) had just left school and were now walking toward their KND tree house headquarters. Abby had to stop and pick up some candy from her own house first, which was two blocks away.

"An A+?" Hoagie exclaimed at Wally in disbelief. "After all these difficulties in the past, you got an A+?!?"

"Yeah, well…" Wally tried so hard to not get mixed up in this conversation.

"You didn't copy someone's test without Ms. Thomson noticing, did ya?" implied Abby, with a smirk on her face.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" snapped Kuki. She didn't like anyone insulting her Wally.

"Okay! Okay! I was just joking!" Abby apologized, her body shivering from surprise.

* * *

Yes, what Hoagie had said was true. Wally may have had _some_ problems many months ago on getting the right answers in school, but ever since he accidentally drank some advanced formula and developed it in a gas chamber, (where he tripped into) it promoted more than twice his usual intelligence, muscle, and wisdom.

This type of formula even made his blond hair go down to the top of his neck, much like that of Rachel McKenzie (Numbuh 362). Incredibly, his growth spurt seemed to be cured and he was now a little taller than Kuki, whom was relieved to see that Wally had survived the accident.

Wally no longer had trouble swimming at all. The formula had somehow triggered his movement within the joints of the arms and legs and helped him make either stroking or kicking in the water much easier.

* * *

Onto the present, Wally was now having a little red in his cheeks from the defensive comment Kuki produced to back Abby off. He had never seen her say anything to protect his humanity before.

"Uh… thanks, Kuki," he said, slightly bashful.

"Aw, Wally," replied Kuki, "it was the least I could do for my tall, handsome, sweet, and brave guardian angel." And with that, she gave him a quick peck over the cheek before setting on to business.

Suddenly, the five friends just saw a familiar shape coming straight toward them, much too fast. It was some woman in B.R.A., something to give the Teen Ninjas' presence away to the KND. They didn't get a clear look at it, but the face looked like it was covered in white make-up and had a black mask covering the eye sockets.

Whoever this lady was, she was screaming out of control. The boots that made the wearer fly, as displayed by any Teen Ninja, were set at too much rocket power and were now making her fly about 100 mph without stopping.

"HOW DO YOU STOP THIS THING?!?" shrieked the lady. "SOMEBODY GET ME DOWN FROM HERE! GET ME… AAAAAAAAGH!!!"

The kids docked just in time, as the runaway flier continued her perilous flight, worrying whether she would get a ticket for speeding while on the way towards her destination.

"What the heck was that about?" gasped Nigel. "That maniac could've run us over!"

"Well, whoever that was," assured Hoagie, "she's gone now."

* * *

Then, as the kids entered Abby's home, they were all shocked to see the walls painted with red letters, reading multiple "HA HA's" all over.

"What in the name of Darla Dimple is going on here today?!?" Wally exclaimed.

"C'mon," Abby suggested, after letting out a long sigh, "let's get this place cleaned up before my folks think _we_ were responsible."

"Right," acknowledged Nigel, and then gave the orders, "Kids Next Door, cleaning stations!"

Each operative pulled out a new piece of 2x4 technology called S.W.E.E.P.E.R. (Synthesized Weapon Extends Elegant Power Eliminating Rubbish), a mop-like device used to clean up messes at much better distances, such as walls and ceilings. Kuki took the living room and the siding close to the basement; Hoagie, the kitchen; and Nigel, Wally, and Abby went upstairs to deal with closer engagements on the walls.

Before they could set their S.W.E.E.P.E.R.s to wash up the east wing, Nigel and Wally suddenly noticed a small pink top lying on the floor. As far as they knew, it belonged to Cree. Nigel picked it up and just when he could ask Wally what to make of it, Abby approached them.

"Well, as far as I checked," Abby informed Nigel, "Cree's room, Mom and Dad's room, and the bathroom were untouched by the paint, so that'll be no trouble for… Numbuh 1, why are you holding Cree's shirt?" she asked suspiciously after noticing.

She snatched the top from Nigel's hand and eyed both of the boys as if they just invaded Cree's privacy.

"Um… don't get us wrong," retorted Nigel, feeling rather embarrassed about this, "but we found this lying here."

"Per'aps it fell off while yer mum was doing the laundry," implied Wally.

"Seems that way," Abby shrugged. "But Cree_ always_ wears this."

Then she saw a small drop of what it seemed to be red paint lying on the left middle of the top.

"You don't think she caused all this, do you?" Nigel asked, referring to the writing on the walls.

"Don't be dumb," Abby replied indignantly, "She was at school when this happened. But… where _is_ Cree? She should've been home half an hour before us." She sounded like she was actually concerned for her older sister. She never felt that way before in quite a while.

Suddenly, a loud shriek made the three friends jump. They recognized that scream anywhere. It was…

"Kuki! C'mon, we gotta help!" Wally was the first to react and rush down the stairs before everyone else to his love's need of rescue. The others followed right behind him.

* * *

Kuki was standing in the family room, shaking with fear. She just finished cleaning the top basement room entrance and when she went to finish the location she was recently in, a simply horrifying sight made her want to let Wally know something was wrong. Just Wally. She needed him more than anything, than Rainbow Monkeys or other girlish toys she played with. This was a matter that only he could comfort her.

"Kuki, are you alroight?" Wally called, rushing to her as fast as possible. "What is it? Ah heard ye scream and…" As he stood next to Kuki, the thing she was screaming about made him slightly shiver. "Oh… my…"

Kuki hugged him, with tears sliding slowly down her cheeks, begging for him to give her sanctuary. And so he had, embracing her as she was embracing him.

Nigel and Hoagie arrived and they too were in shock. All four knew that Abby was coming down to see what had just frightened Kuki, though they thought it might be best not to have her suffer the most.

"Well, what just happened here?" Abby exclaimed, rushing up behind the rest of her team.

"Look, Numbuh 5," said Nigel, sounding pretty soft, "I… I don't think you should see this."

"What the heck are you talking about?!" Abby retorted, as she began to squeeze through Hoagie.

"Abby, I really think you should listen to…" Hoagie stammered, trying his best not to let his friend pass.

Abby was having enough of this, so she snapped back, "Will you just shut up and get out of my way before I..."

Before she could finish that demand, she got a glimpse of the very sight Kuki had screamed and recognized it in a sense of horror. She immediately pushed through Hoagie and began rushing towards to the battered, broken, and bare-chested shape of Cree Lincoln, lying next to the fireplace on the right side of the couch.

"Cree!" Abby cried, as knelt next to her older sister and touched her hand. "Cree, talk to me, girl! Snap out of it!"

Then a small muffling sound came out of Cree's mouth. "Abby… I'm… I'm sorry…"


	5. A Brutal Finish and A Clown Unmasked

Cree was badly injured in many ways. However, none of these ever happened until her attacker, Harley Quinn, gained the upper hand and unleashed her energy. All Harley ever done in the beginning was defending herself while taunting Cree with threats towards Abby. Those, of course, made Cree a little more distracted and charged at her recklessly, but she was determined to let nothing hurt her sister.

By then, she had believed that Harley was trying to escape and had just about cornered her next to the upstairs stairs.

Then, it happened. Harley thrust her right hand into the back of Cree's B.R.A. through the collar and went for the strap to unlace. She managed to grab it, causing the seemingly limitless piece of technology to deactivate.

Cree was once again in her civilian clothes, almost completely defenseless. She couldn't reactive while Harley had her hand on the strap. Taking immediate action, she took a hold of Harley's arm and struggled for it to let go with all her might. Then, she felt a violent tug against the front of her top as Harley's left hand slid it on her face. She never saw what happened next.

By then, Harley never wasted a minute for that opportunity and, while having her hands full, forced the heel of her right shoe onto Cree's shirt-blinded face, breaking her nose.

Cree screamed when she felt that deep sense of pain, only to have it being muffled by the pink top covering her mouth. She immediately released her grip on Harley to cover the nose as it bled on the middle section of the top and after about eight seconds, the former Arkham psychiatrist relieved the teenager of her armor and upper clothing.

Harley dropped the top to the ground and she switched hands the B.R.A. She pointed her right index finger at Cree's nose.

"_That_ was what happened to my Puddin' when he was a kid!" she shouted angrily, remembering the time that she listened to Jack Napier's past with an abusive father back in Arkham. "Now I know what it feels like by looking at a tormentor, just like _you_! Did you ever treat your sister that way while you two were fighting? _Did_ you, Cree?!"

Cree's eyes widened up in shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing this. Why would she be hurting her own little sister? Maybe not physically, but through the heart perhaps, after she turned her back on the KND and joined the Teen Ninjas. It must have been a great pain on Abby back then, though she said she had gotten over it. But _did_ she?

Before Cree could even think for another second about this, Harley quickly strapped on the Battle Ready Armor and activated it in full circle.

"Well, now that you're paying attention," she put in, both fists tightly clenched. "It's time to show you how much painful abuse _really_ is."

With that, Harley rapidly punched Cree right in the stomach and then elbowed her on the back as if a poll driver had come down hard after the teenager bent down in pain. She was amazed by this. She never had this much strength before.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "This suit can really pack a punch. No wonder Mistah J wanted these so badly."

Cree had never felt how hard the B.R.A. could hit. Nobody ever wanted to use it as some sort of weapon _that_ deadly. It may have been used for disguises and protection against obnoxious little brats like the KND, but no Teen Ninja could ever have thought it would be used for this kind of assault, let alone crime.

Then, in a flash, Cree felt like a car had hit her as Harley gave a powerful kick right onto the chin. She tumbled down the stairs, her right kneecap and shoulders breaking in the process. Then, she landed on the floor with a thud.

Trying to ignore the pain, she used her limping legs to try and reach the door. It was her only chance to escape. Her only chance to find help. To call the police. To have that maniac and his girl back at Arkham. To protect Abby.

She was almost there. The knob was within her grasp. She was about turn it, when…

"Oh no, you don't!"

Harley slid down the stair railing, leaped onto the carpet, and swung her very own wooden mallet unto her target. It hit Cree right on the left side of her ribs, causing her to give another screeching sound of pain. She couldn't take it that much anymore. She had taken enough suffering as it was.

Using advantage to this, Harley swung the mallet onto Cree again on her left shoulder with a much harder blow, which sent her flying into the living room, next to the fireplace. Cree was fortunate that the rug was there, or else landing on the strong wood of the floor would have been really painful for her current state. At least, the worst part of it was all over.

Then, at that moment, Cree started crying. She really fell apart and cried, yet it wasn't the pain that was forcing her to do so. It was much bigger than just physical pain. In fact, there were two conflicts inside her; one was remorse, the other fear.

In remorse, Cree felt she had not been what any older sibling would be toward the younger. She had betrayed her only sister, her comrades in the KND, and even the older sister in herself. How could she have been so _blind?_ So _stupid_ not to see it?

In fear, she was afraid of the consequences. Had her actions now have placed Abby in danger? What was Harley's crazed lover planning to do to her?

Harley came up next to Cree, looking down at her. "Hope you've learned your lesson!" she said, with spite. Then she changed her tone into a little more bright and cheerful. "Well, Cree, it's been fun! I gotta run now. Mistah J'll be waitin' for me at the old maze." She turned to go upstairs when a thought came to her. "Oh, how silly of me! I almost forgot! Here you are." She left a face down playing card inside the right pocket of Cree's jeans. "Just to let your sister know that I dropped by. I'm _so_ anxious to meet her, you know. B' bye!"

Cree just lay on the rug helplessly and watched Harley run upstairs to make her escape route. It wasn't hard to guess where that woman had gone to fly from.

Harley climbed at the safest part of the roof to try out the rocket boots of the Battle Ready Armor. She then drew a little note from her sleeve.

"Now, let's see…" she pondered. "Gismo said the button for flying this doohickey was right… here." She pressed the red button that was right on top of the left gauntlet. Unfortunately, the button was set for emergency boosters. The rockets for this mode were made to go an almost unexplainable high rate.

"Oops. Wrong button…"

Before Harley could say anything else, she zoomed off the roof as soon as the rockets were set, screaming on the way. The good thing was that the emergency mode had enough power to get her to _Game World_ before the police could suspect and catch up with her.

* * *

Back at the house, moments later, Abby was kneeling next to her injured sister, listening to those words Cree had barely managed to speak out.

"Abby… I'm… I'm sorry…"

"Oh man..." Abby said to herself, badly shaken. She turned and yelled to Nigel, "We gotta get Dad fast!"

"Right!" Nigel started giving the orders right away after response. "Numbuh 2, call 911! I'll help Numbuh 5 get Cree to a more comfortable spot while we wait."

"You've got it!" Hoagie rushed down to the nearest telephone and dialed exactly as Nigel told him to.

"And Numbuh 4…" Nigel paused, remembering that Kuki was in a bit of terrible shock. Then, he got that last bit of sentence in a gentler and compassionate finish towards Wally, "…watch over Numbuh 3. You _know_ what she needs."

"Thanks, Numbuh 1," sighed a relieved Wally, whom was embracing Kuki with his gentle hands. Kuki, in return, despite the shock, was glad to hear that Nigel understood her feelings pretty well as Wally.

While the two lovers set outside on the porch, Abby had Cree's right arm over her shoulder, with Nigel on the left, trying not to worsen the broken shoulder and ribs. Together, they helped her onto the couch. Whether or not they had seen Cree's bare chest while lifting her up, or accidentally _touched_ it, it really didn't concern them. All it mattered was to get her medical attention by the time she gets to the hospital and her father was one of the best at it.

As Cree's head was now lying on a pillow, her good hand clutched her sister's right. Abby knew Cree was trying to say something, but she decided to speak first.

"Hang on, sis," soothed Abby. "We're getting help now. Dad's gonna come and fix you up, so just relax."

"Abby," Cree was once again on the edge of tears. "Please… forgive me…"

To this, Abby was now taken back._ After all this time… she apologizes? _"Cree, none of that matters right now. Just tell me who did this and we'll take it to the cops."

"He… he's here… in Cleveland."

Cree released her grip on Abby's hand and started slipping the playing card out of her pocket. Her arm was a little unstable in her condition, so she let it lay on the edge of the couch, with the card still face down in her hand.

Noticing this, Nigel walked beside Abby for a closer look.

"Yeah?" said Abby, trying not to sound excited in her voice. "Cree, what's his name? C'mon, who is it?"

"It… it's him," shuddered Cree, taking a bit of her pain. "The… Joker."

Suddenly, the card flipped between Cree's fingers, revealing a horrifying discovery to Abby and Nigel. They recognized the face of that man straight away.

Abby gasped. "It… it… it _can't_ be! Not _him!_"

But it _was_ him. It was _the_ Joker, the "Clown Prince of Crime."


	6. The Gang's All Here!

Back at _Game World_, Jack Napier, better known as the Joker, was whistling a cherry tune while setting up the TV for his usual comedy program. Anything he would watch was something that could really crack a joke.

His white bleached skin, which he got from falling in that vat of chemicals years ago, gave him quite a good impression that he was a _real_ clown. The green hair was setup in an almost Elvis Presley-like fashion. The yellow scleras and red eyeballs were enough to make him look like the devil himself. As for that insidious smile, it was one major feature that people would _never_ forget.

His reputation was well infamous in the city of Gotham, especially being the "laughing lot" of Arkham Asylum. For so long, he committed crimes involving something that goes with a laugh. However, it all would've been successful had his own caped archenemies not interfered.

Batman, Robin, Nightwing, and Batgirl; those were the names the Joker despised more than ever. But his number one foe has always been, and always _will_ be, Batman. Oh, how he _hated_ him. After all, as he said one time long ago, no one would ever upstage the Joker and _live_. No one whatsoever.

_Well, it won't matter for long,_ he thought with a confident grin on his face. _Things are about to change very soon now. Even for Batboy…_

He sat down on the couch and pressed the remote. The show he was waiting for just came on the air this instant. This was a _killer!_ He laughed so hard, his almost felt tears roll down his eyes.

After regaining himself, he looked at his watch. "Harley should be here just about… now."

At that moment, Harley Quinn entered flying through the remotely-activated maze doors with the B.R.A. rocket boots and hit the wall with a _whump_. Luckily for her, the boots ran out of fuel by the time she got here and she didn't hit that hard at all.

"I'm sure glad _that's_ over," she said, wincing a little bit from the wall impact. Her face was covered in bird feathers and leaves.

When she got to balance her legs while standing up, she immediately stomped her way up to the control room. She was definitely angry, but not with her Puddin'. She was mad at…

"GIZMO!!!"

Poor little Gizmo felt sweat coming down his face as Harley shoved the door open, shouting out his name. Oh, he was _really_ in for it. What did he forget to mention to this lady before she left to complete her objective? Well, here came the reason.

Harley held Gizmo by the top part of the uniform and raised him above the ground with her teeth tightly clenched.

"You never told me there was an emergency button in this suit!" she yelled, harshly. "I rocketed about a hundred miles an hour nonstop and I didn't even get a chance to dodge those birds!" And she spat out some feathers from her mouth.

"But… but… but…" stammered Gizmo, trying to come up with an exclamation that would save his poor life from bearing the full brunt of a woman's rage. "I didn't have time examine the whole armor! Just give me another chance to look at it!"

"You're lucky I had to block some tree branches with this helmet." Harley eyed him like a snake did before biting its prey. Then she dropped him to the ground, with a more joyful attitude. "Now, if you'll excuse me, _I_ have a date."

And with that, she skipped over to the next room, leaving a relieved Gizmo to study further into the devices of the B.R.A.

"Well, Harley," said the Joker in his usual manner, "How'd your _appointment_ with Miss Lincoln go?"

"Oh," Harley replied, "it went fine, Puddin'. I bet she'll even take my advice from now on."

"That's good to hear. And, by the way, I hope that armor wasn't too heavy for you to wear."

Harley scoffed. "Are you kiddin' me? I feel _great_ in this thing!" Then she paused for a few seconds and finally implied, "Um… you think it really makes me look fat?"

Then, the door slid open and a teenage girl came walking towards the two. And judging by her face, she did _not_ look pleased.

The girl wore a dress equipped with metal platting, which came in handy whenever she had to fight. Her eyes and hair were made pure violet, though they were not always like this. The hair was originally red and the eyes green, like the people of her homeworld. Her current state was due to some _transformation,_ a type of puberty in her people.

"Ah, your royal highness! Good to see you." The Joker leaped from his couch, stood stiff as a stick, and gave a gentle bow. Then, with a hard nudge from his elbow, he motioned a confused Harley to do the same.

"Spare me the gestures, Joker," the girl sniffed indignantly. "I'm not a princess anymore, remember? And for your information, my little sister placed the crown into the hands of that… caretaking, muscle-bound oaf, Galfore."

"Oh, but Blackfire, kiddo," the Joker put in, trying to straiten her mood, "you _will_ reclaim your rightful throne. Believe me. Besides, you just need to build confidence in my plan."

To that comment, Blackfire looked to at the Joker, her dark, cold eyes giving him and Harley what seemed like a vision of doom in their near future.

"I _am_ confident that your plan will work," she growled with impatience. "I just hate all this _waiting!_ It's driving me crazy! Why don't we just go and finish the Titans off _now?!?_"

"Oh, we won't need to be going to them, your grace," the Joker explained. "They'll be coming right to _us._"

"How do you figure that?"

"Well, thanks to Harley here, the folks of Cleveland will now learn that I'm in town. Then, the cops will have to connect all five of the past events to this one, which might bring mention of you, kiddo, as a member of our little band. The news will spread across the nation, which should have your sister, the others… and Batman, I _hope…_ come look for us in the city. Finally, we would invite them over _here_.

"You know the _rest_ already, I gather," the Joker finished, waiting for a response.

A little smile came into Blackfire's face and her eyes soothed into a warmed position. "It's just… _crazy_ enough to work."

"_That's_ the spirit, kiddo," chuckled the Joker. He then turned to Harley. "C'mon, girls! Let's sit down and watch some nice routine comedy to celebrate! Popcorn and drinks are on Mammoth!"

* * *

Hearing the Joker's announcement across the room, the muscle-bound man known as "Mammoth" grumbled at the mentioning of him going out as a waiter. He went to the kitchen, where his two foreign compatriots, Frenchwoman "Madame Rouge" and Anglophile "Mad Mod," were bickering about some personal history between their countries.

"I'm tellin' you, ducky," Mad Mod complained, "if it weren't for your Duke Willy, England would'a been a lot 'appier back then!"

"Well, Monsieur Mod," retorted Madame Rouge, calmly, "let us put it this way. If King William had lost the Battle of Hastings, your ancestors would have had to become teachers on literature instead of history."

Mod just stood there speechless, his lower jaw dropping as if falling towards the floor. _Literature?_ With all the writings on point of view, motivations, and countless hours of worthless drama? He couldn't believe what he just heard!

"She's gotcha _there_, old timer!"

Mammoth's mood changed when he saw the look on Mod's face, before settling down to starting up the popcorn and pouring in the drinks. Now things were going to be a _lot_ of fun.


	7. Kuki's need for Wally and Nigel's hopes

Things went exactly what the Joker had predicted. His presence in Cleveland set the news to spread all over town and, inevitably, the nation. The police were everywhere, on the search for any trace that might lead to the lunatic and his gang.

Harley's name was also mentioned on the papers. Thanks to her, Cree confirmed – just barely – every bit of information that the Joker was undeniably involved in the robberies these past few weeks. But no one seemed to know the cause for the Joker's being here and all questions started rising as to what he was planning. Of course, that was for _him_ to know and _them_ to find out, sooner or later.

All the parents were pretty much in a state of panic and ordered their children to stay close at home, especially the members of Sector V.

* * *

In her room, poor Kuki was a little less shaky than she was on the day of Cree's wounding, but she couldn't get that off her mind. It reminded her too much of something similarly tragic. In fact, it made her think of the time when her life had changed forever. When she learned to grow more responsible. When she nearly lost Wally.

**(*Flashback scene*)**

_One day, she skips along joyfully across the sidewalk with her Skipidy-Dip-Along Rainbow Monkey. She hasn't a care in the world of what might happen. She never notices the stone in front of her path until too late._

_ She trips over the stone and falls to the ground. The Rainbow Monkey slips from her grasp and lands onto the middle of the road._

_ "Hey!" Kuki shouts. "Get back here!" She runs over to the Monkey, grabs it, and hugs it tight._

_ "Next time," she says to her stuffed animal, "we better watch we're going." And she continues to hug her pride and joy, unaware that a large force is about to come right from behind._

_ Wally, still in his small stature, walks on the other side of the street and then sees Kuki, snuggling her Rainbow Monkey in her arms. This annoys him greatly._

Aw, man,_ he thinks to himself._ How can she still be falling for those cruddy Rainbow Dorkies? It just ain't right. One of these days, she's gonna have to…

_ His thoughts are interrupted as he hears a vehicle coming from his left. A pretty loud one, too, from the sounds of it. He turns his head around to see a huge truck. In fact, it turns out to be – as an addition to his displeasure – a Rainbow Monkey deliver truck._

Can't they ever stop making those girly nightmares?_ Wally pleads in his mind._

_Suddenly, he notices the truck coming closer and closer. He realizes that it is on a straight course… right in Kuki's direction. And she was still on the road!_

_The truck honks its horn, but Kuki doesn't seem to notice. What seems to be the worst part is that the truck is being driven by a blind old man, who stubbornly refuses any glasses or eye contacts._

_Not wishing to see his best friend get hurt, a scared, but determined Wally runs onto the road and cries out "Kuki! Watch out!"_

_Kuki snaps out of it and looks back to see the truck, heading her way by a few feet. She is instantly petrified and can't seem to think of what to do next._

_However, Wally knows what he is doing. He reaches Kuki just in time and pushes her out of the way. But, sadly, he knows that he wouldn't escape the truck in time._

_The truck driver feels a bump at the front of the vehicle as he drives along the line. He then takes no notice._

"_Dog gone garbage trucks," he mumbles. "When will they learn to clean up their messes properly?"_

_Kuki stands back up as the truck rushes past her without any damage. "What a way to have yourself being run over by a Rainbow Monkey truck," she says, letting out a deep sigh of relief. "Thanks a lot, Numbuh 4." "No reply comes to her. "Numbuh 4? Are you even listening to…?"_

_She turns around, only to discover that Wally is now lying on the road, badly wounded and hardly bleeding at all._

_Kuki gives out a gasp of horror. "Wally!" Dropping her Rainbow Monkey, she rushes over to Wally and stops to bend down. "Oh my God, Wally! Are you okay? Can you hear me? Come on, Wally! Say something!"_

_Wally never gives a response. Kuki's eyes begin to water. _

"_Please…" she sobs quietly. "Please, don't do this to me. Don't leave me." She sets her head down on Wally's chest, sobbing. "I love y-"_

_Suddenly, she believes she is hearing something. She lifts Wally's hooded sweater and listens to his heart. There is a beat. He's still alive! Just barely._

_Quickly, she rushes over to Abby's house, dragging Wally with her. It is hard going, but in a moment, she manages to get the both of them to house._

_She knocks on the door hard. "Hello?" she asks desperately, her voice cracking a bit. "Dr. Lincoln?"_

"_He's at work, brat," calls a familiar voice from inside the house. "Now get lost!"_

"_Cree? Is that you? I need your dad's help! Wally's h-"_

"_Didn't you just hear me? If you wanna get to Dad, go to the hospital!"_

_Kuki's voice starts sounding more desperate. "Please, you don't understand! This is an emergency! If I don't call your dad fast, Wally's gonna…"_

"_Look," says an annoyed Cree, as she opens the door. "If you don't get outta here right now, I'm gonna be kicking your… What in the name of George W. Bush?!" she exclaims. She looks at a tear-faced Kuki holding her hurt Wally._

"_Cree, please," Kuki begs, despairingly. "Help me save him. He's dying."_

**(*End of flashback*)**

It was lucky that Cree was able to call her father from her hospital. She really had a heart somewhere, after all. Too bad she had been injured greatly months later, only this time by the girlfriend of a lunatic clown.

Wally, before his accidental growth and intellect acceleration, had to stay in the hospital for weeks until Dr. Lincoln confirmed that his body was completely functional. His parents and the rest of Sector V visited him often. But Kuki more of his concern, just to see that she was safe every single day. It made him very happy. Even Mr. and Mrs. Sanban came to see him one time not only to thank him for saving than, but also for learning that self-sacrifice—giving your life for someone else—was a big part of growing-up. Wally had the strangest feeling that they were approving some sort of future marriage or something, but that was fine by him, so he didn't bother to ask.

Kuki, however, deeply felt that Wally's accident had been all her fault and still was even now. Her love for Rainbow Monkeys got in the way of what was most important. At first, she was reluctant to see him in his previous condition. But after Abby convinced her that Wally needed her, she wanted to let him know how much she loved him. And, to her surprise, Wally felt the same. It was the very thing she wanted to hear.

Of course, Nigel, Hoagie, and Abby knew about this from the beginning, but they wanted to hear the words coming from Wally himself, though he was in denial and too embarrassed to discuss the subject with Kuki. He was afraid that she wouldn't fall for someone as short and disgusted with Rainbow Monkeys as he was. He was later proven wrong because, no matter what how tall or tough he was, she would always love him.

For years, obviously, the two kept their feelings from each other ever since kindergarten. Now that they were out, Wally became much kinder towards Kuki and she was more concentrated on him than Rainbow Monkeys or any other toys. It was like a dream come true.

At the present situation, Kuki went straight downstairs to ask parents if it was alright to visit the Beatles for a while. They were both cautious at first, due to the recent events, but they agreed as long as Kuki's little sister, Mushi, would come with her. Kuki was thankful for this and she and Mushi walked straight down across the street, which was under police supervision, to meet their destination.

_I always knew I'd count on Wally,_ Kuki thought to herself, happily. _He'll be with me every step of the way.

* * *

_

At the Sector V treehouse, Nigel was speaking to Rachel McKenzie (Numbuh 362) via visual communications.

"You've heard the news?" asked Nigel to his Supreme Commander.

"You bet I do," replied Rachel. "I can't believe someone as crazy as the Joker would want to steal tech from us and our enemies. What do you think he's up to?"

"I have no idea, but from what I've heard from his reputation, it's not going to be good."

"Affirmative. Over and out." A little reminder came to Rachel in a split second. "Oh, and Nigel?"

"Yes, Rachel?"

"If you see Numbuh 5," said Rachel, sympathetically, "tell her that Cree may have betrayed the KND, but she _didn't_ deserve this. She'll need to hear that. Believe me, I _know_."

"So do I. Over and out."

As the screen went blank, Nigel looked out the window sadly.

Months ago, he was sent to represent the secretive Galactic KND, an alien part of the organization where kids of all species could work together. While there, the scientist cured his hair problem and, by a few days, his head was anything but bald again. He had to admit that the GKND's kind of technology was well beyond anything he could possibly imagine in this universe.

But that mission did not last long. He was forced to return home to Earth and his Sector, on Rachel's orders, after hearing of Wally's accident. After all, he couldn't let one of his best friends down. In fact, they _all_ needed him back. Even though he was missing the GKND, he felt happy to help lead his team again.

Onto the current situation, Nigel knew that Rachel was right. Abby definitely needed some comfort right now. Luckily, Hoagie would be there to help her.


	8. Love Heals All Wounds and A Batcall

Because the Lincoln residence was currently used as the scene of the crime by the police, Abby and her parents were allowed to stay at Hoagie's place for a while. Mrs. Gilligan made them feel welcome and offered them plenty of room. Dr. and Mrs. Lincoln were to sleep in the living room, while Abby shared Hoagie's room.

Abby didn't mind sleeping with Hoagie in his bed. In fact, she couldn't even care to notice after what happened to Cree. She just sat there thinking. How did the Joker find out about her? About Cree? About the KND, their families and their enemies? What did he have against all of them? It didn't make any _sense._

But the thing she figured was that Harley Quinn had hurt Cree very badly, at the Joker's behest, to get close to her and the rest of Sector V for some reason. Why this was happening, she didn't know.

Then she remembered Cree begging to forgive her while Sector V called for the police. She remembered watching the medics carry the poor teenager into an ambulance. She remembered seeing Wally embrace a shocked Kuki, trying to calm her down. She hoped that boy could look after his girl.

_At least, those two have each other,_ she thought. _But me, I… I can't. I just _can't_ stand it! Why did Cree do this? I mean, after all we've been through, why did she get herself hurt trying to save me? WHY?_

Tears started forming in Abby's eyes. She buried her head on the nearest pillow, unable to prevent the sobs from coming out.

* * *

Hoagie just looked at himself in the bathroom mirror and checked his muscles. He'd lost a lot of weight since Nigel had gone to the GKND and he preferred to keep it that way nowadays. He never looked so slim, yet so strong.

"Boy, I wish Cree was here to see me more closely," he said to himself, smiling. "_Then,_ she might fall for me. It's been ages since we've been a foot closer to each other. Maybe when she gets back from the hospital, I'll…" He stopped in mid-sentence as he remembered Abby. "Hmm…" _I better check how she's doing._

Leaving the bathroom, he heard something disturbing from inside his own room. He listened carefully as he placed his ear to the door. There was hard, but quite crying and he knew who was making it.

Slowly, but carefully, Hoagie opened the door for a peek. He saw Abby crying on one of his pillows. Then, he noticed she wasn't wearing her bright red cap, which was lying on the floor. Her hair was unknotted and let down, blanketing her entire neck. This wasn't her usual kind of style, but Hoagie thought her hair looked better that way, since he had rarely seen it.

He walked up to his old friend and spoke gently, "Hey, Numbuh 5? Are you okay?" She didn't seem to happen. The girl was still sobbing on the pillow. "Um… Numbuh 5? _Abby?_"

It was by the mention of her real name that Abby had turned her head to see who was talking to her. Her eyes were red from so many tears. Hoagie sat down next to her and at that instant, she rapidly clutched him in a light, but started hug. He began to blush a little.

"Hoagie," Abby whimpered, returning her friend's name in kind. "Why did she have to fight? Why couldn't she have just run for help? I can't believe she could be so _stupid…_"

"Abby," said Hoagie, "there was nothing else Cree could do. She only wanted you to be safe, that's all."

"Don't you get it?" Abby was almost in a state of anger. "We had a _lotta_ fights! Missions, personal arguments, loyalties to the KND. They weren't that much different to both of us! And now she got hurt while trying to protect me from that… that _clown!_" Her body trembled from so much crying, she couldn't control herself. Then, her voice became close to a whisper. "I love her too much… to _lose_ her."

Hoagie could see that Abby was in serious emotional pain. He started thinking of what to say carefully before he knew the correct approach.

At last, he spoke very gently. "Y'know, if Tommy was ever in serious trouble – Joker or any other crazed guy – I'd probably have done the same for him as Cree did for you. I mean, that's what love is all about, isn't it?"

To those words, Abby reacted in desperation as she clenched Hoagie's shirt with her fists.

"Don't you even _say_ that, Hoagie P. Gilligan Jr.!" she pleaded, her voice cracking. "And don't you ever try _anything_ like that! I won't _let_ you!Even for your own family! Even for the KND! Even for _me!_ You could _die!_"

"I don't care."

"I _do!_"

Hoagie was stunned by Abby's defiance. Why was she trying to prevent him from giving his own life for another? Was it because enough had suffered already? Was she thinking about what his family might say? Or was there something _else?_

"I…" Abby froze for a moment, looking back to what she said. "Hoagie, I'm sorry. I don't know what's got into me. It's just that I… I…" Once more, she paused. She had no idea of what to say next. All she could do was blush as she looked back in Hoagie's face. The only finishing words that lay in her mind were: _I think I'm in love with you._

Both red-faced children were so startled at each other, that there was a deep motionless inside them for many seconds.

However, Abby broke the stillness as she moved up to Hoagie, removed his pilot's cape, and then pressed her lips against his. It was a long kiss. Then she broke away from him

In reaction to this, surprised but blissful, Hoagie kissed her back. He felt her arms around him tightly before following her suit. He let the touch of Abby's hair reach his shoulders.

The euphoria strengthened inside them both as the two kissing raged on. They wished this could never end. Yet they were briefly put on hold as Abby's father, Dr. Lincoln, entered the room.

"Well, I'll be Saturn's rings!" he exclaimed in a cheery way, as he saw both Abby and Hoagie tightly hugging each other. "Looks like I caught myself a son-in-law!"

"_Dad!_" Abby's red face deepened with embarrassment. "Can't you at _least_ give us some privacy?"

"Oh! Right! Sorry about that!" Dr. Lincoln rushed out of the door and before he shut the door, he called out "Good night, y'all!"

Then, after an awkward pause, Abby said softly, "Now, _where _were we?"

Hoagie smirked and replied, "I think_ I_ know…" Seconds later, the kissing continued.

* * *

At the Beatles residence, everything was alright. There was no panic about what happened at the Lincoln house. Mr. Beatles sat on the couch, watching the football game. Baby Joey was sleeping upstairs in his room, safe and sound, and Mushi Sanban was helping Mrs. Beatles make dinner.

Both of the Sanbans and Beatles' eldest children, going on eleven, were all alone in Wally's room, keeping their affairs private. But not _that_ private.

Wally and Kuki lay on the bed, snuggling each other. The Aussie boy's shirt was lying on the floor. Kuki touched her lover's bare belly as her long, silky locks connected with his blond hair. It wasn't because she _wanted_ this moment to happen, but because she _needed_ it. She was still in a bit of shock, after all. So far, it was working and the Japanese-American girl felt a lot better already.

However, this didn't stop her from worrying. "Wally," she asked, meekly. "W-w-what's gonna _happen_ to us?"

"It's okay, sheela," cooed Wally. "Everythin'll be alroight. Just keep staying with me and no one'll harm ya."

"I wish that were _true_."

"Quit worryin'. No matter what happens, we'll always be together. _Forever_. Ah promise."

Kuki gave him a small, but sweet grin. "You know, I always thought you looked so _cute_ when you're not wearing your shirt. You should be like that more often when we're alone."

Wally's checks went into the color of strawberries as he let out a bashful chuckle. "Okay, Kuki," he smirked. "Whatever you say." And with that, he allowed Kuki to give her a huge kiss on the lips.

It was the first time in a while since they had that kind of kiss and they never forgot what it was like. It happened when they finally expressed their feelings for each other at the hospital. It had been a _blessing_ for them both.

Despite being aware that dinner was almost ready, the two lovers wished this moment might_ never_ end.

* * *

At the T-Shaped tower in Gotham City, a young man looked intensely into today's newspapers.

He had known and fought these maniacs, the Joker and Harley Quinn, for over a year. He couldn't believe that they would try to slip out of Gotham and move their criminality elsewhere in this nation. Without the knowledge of the Gotham Police Department (GPD), no less. How could anyone not notice where they were going? Why didn't they at least _try_ to apprehend them?

However, wishing for the past to be different was irrelevant at the moment. Now all that the teenage boy had to was to decide when to take _action._

It was a quarter of an hour before he stopped reading them at the sound of a ring.

The ringing was coming from the T-labeled communicator on his belt. He took it, opened it as if it were a cell phone, and answered, "Robin here. Who's calling?"

"Robin," replied a deep, serious voice from inside the communicator. "I take it that you've heard the news?"

"No, I've _read_ the news. The Joker and Harley are in Cleveland and they've got familiar help. I know you're busy, but I feel like this is something you can handle alone."

"You place too much credit in me, Robin. I'm gonna allow you to take the rest of your team to head over to Cleveland and pay our _friends_ a little visit. With your friends, you'll have no trouble. Believe me."

"Oh, I _believe_ you, B.W. Robin out."

Robin, the Boy Wonder, alias Tim Drake, placed the communicator back in his belt and marched out to bed. He knew what he and his friends, part of the Teen Titans, must do first thing tomorrow after breakfast.


	9. Comradery and Surprises

The Joker was in a slightly cheerful mood today, of this, Harley and the rest of their colleagues were concerned. He was getting more and more excited as each day would pass, with the absolute certainty that the Teen Titans would be on their way.

On everyone else's mind, they could feel the same confidence.

This would be a chance to get revenge on those who had dared to cross their paths, humiliated them, and put them behind bars. With the Titans out of the way, they could go about with their separate ways and do whatever they pleased.

_Mostly_ separate, anyway. Gizmo and Mammoth often worked together, as did the Joker and Harley. Madame Rouge had once been a part in the Brotherhood of Evil, but after that organization was defeated by the Titans, she, like Mad Mod and Blackfire, now worked alone.

Even if this alliance was only temporary, they began to know each other a bit more, as the weeks went on. This may have been the start of a genuine comradeship. _Almost._

To help pass the time, the Joker would watch his favorite comedy TV shows and Harley would sometimes join in. None of the others seemed to mind as they did their daily routines here at the maze. After all, it would all be such a laugh to see the Titans' humiliation for themselves.

* * *

The Joker pressed a button on the intercom. "How's the work coming along, Gizmo my boy?" he asked gleefully.

"Just one more to go, your Royal Funniness," Gizmo's replied over the speaker. "This'll take only a few hours."

"Well, aren't you the busy bee today." The Joker sounded more amazed then he meant to. He heard of Gizmo being a genius at electronics, but he didn't expect him to work so fast on such heavy machinery. With an appreciative note, he added "I'm so glad I broke you and Mammoth outta jail."

"No big deal. I've learned this since I sneaked into my dad's workshop at age five."

As the Joker switched off the intercom and resumed to watching his show, he could've sworn her heard Gizmo give a sheepish chuckle.

"Well, my sweet," he said to Harley, "things just keep getting better… and _better_." He finished that sentence with his terrifying smile, showing his teeth.


End file.
